During the drought of the 1990’s, LA banned car-washing in driveways, letting sprinklers flood into gutters and watering grass in mid-day. Rising demand and reductions in water supplies may make that a way of life, even before global warming. The City of LA also wants to keep billions of gallons of rainwater from flowing out to sea, and reclaim wastewater—like they do in Orange County.

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During the drought of the 1990’s, LA banned car-washing in driveways, letting sprinklers flood into gutters and watering grass in mid-day. Rising demand and reductions in water supplies may make that a way of life, even before global warming. The City of LA also wants to keep billions of gallons of rainwater from flowing out to sea, and reclaim wastewater—like they do in Orange County.

LA has become a megalopolis in an arid part of the country by importing water from the Owens Valley,Northern California and the Colorado River. But those supplies are beginning to dry up as demand is increasing. Mayor Villaraigosa wants to impose restrictions on water use, capture the rainwater that now flows out to sea and reclaim the waste water that now goes down the drain.